Some things in life are far more stressful than others.
Death, divorce and moving house are generally rated as the ‘big three’, but then I would add a fourth teeth-grinding, sleep-pattern-disturbing stress-point to that list: getting a new kitchen fitted.
Okay, once you’ve picked a general look and colour for your cupboards, drawers and flooring, you may think most of the heavy lifting has been done; but then comes appliances, or ‘white goods’ as we used to call them. I mean, you may have your fancy boiling water tap all sorted, your choice of dishwasher may be in no doubt, hell, you may even have opted to shout ‘to flip with conventional cooling’ and splashed out on a smart fridge. However, when it comes to the question of cooking, just what type of oven are you bringing home?
Want flexibility AND space? Want cool, cutting-edge design? Want something that seamlessly fits into your fresh new kitchen design and doesn’t take up essential floor footage? You need a built-in double ovens.
These styles are all lovingly crafted with dual oven cavities to provide (generally) more space than single ovens, while also endowing you with the capability to simultaneously cook different dishes at differing temperatures. And they’re built-in, so you have a far greater choice of oven positioning, which involves far less bending down, so are good for your back, and you’ll never have to worry about having to edge it out to retrieve food that accidentally fell and bounced under it.
So, if you’re revamping your kitchen and are looking for an unbeatable combination of convenience and capacity, come see what I’ve got cooking…
CDA DC741BL, built under double oven
Best for: Multi-functions for medium-sized families
A built-under electric oven option with a AAA energy rating, a 50-litre main oven with three functions and a 35-litre second oven with four functions, the CDA DC741 is as capacious as it is cool-looking.
Finished in stainless steel and black for that thoroughly modern yet unassuming aesthetic, functions include fan and conventional cooking, warming, defrost and grilling. There is also semi-automatic cooking available on the main oven, a touch-control timer and programmer, and for those – myself included – that loathe the mere thought let alone the actual act of having to scrub the inside clean from food and fat, there’s even an easy-clean enamel interior.
Buy now £499.97, Appliances Direct
PANDO
Best for: Innovative oven stacking
Taking the built-in double oven game in a slightly different direction, Pando don’t just make double ovens, they make an innovative tower system which means you can stack several appliances together, creating your own, bespoke double oven format. This could be a steam oven and a fan oven, an oven and a microwave, a warming drawer and even, you know, a wine cooler to finish off, should you be that wine inclined.
The steel shelves fit into a standard tall appliance unit and cost £91 each with optional edge profiles at £54. As such, a selection of Pando appliances can be teamed together in the unit so you can create a custom double oven with extras.
Shown here, from top: PHM950 22-litre microwave (£594), PHM941 44-litre multi-function electric oven with 14 functions including Pando Chef recipe presets (£1074), PCP9600 warming drawer (£474), and PMAVP 60-25 wine cooler (£1558).
Featuring triple door thermal insulation, the oven itself comes with backlit touch-controls, child safety lock, and offers a conventional oven, grill, turbo, defrost, dough fermentation, eco functions (amongst others), plus an enamel interior and steam cleaning system.
Packed with oven innovation and, of course, an absolute wealth of doubling-up options, Pando make cooking as utterly convenient as it can be.
Buy now, Pando
CDA DC941
Best for: Larger families
Essentially a bigger, step-up model from the CDA DC741, this built-in double is designed for installation in a tall unit and consists of an AA-rated, 59-litre main oven with three functions and a 35-litre second oven featuring four functions. Said functions include conventional heat, fan, grill, defrost, warming, touch-control electronic clock/timer and a cooling fan.
Removable double-glazed doors and an enamel interior keep things safe to the touch and easy to lean on after the main meal event, and you can have it in any colour you like so long as it’s black and stainless steel.
Buy now £495.88, Appliances Direct
Hoover HO7DC3E3078IN
Best for: Medium capacity cooking on a budget
For those who require more cooking capacity without the increased cost, the Hoover H-OVEN 300 HO7DC3E3078IN is the under-kitchen-counter creation you require.
It boasts two 42-litre ovens and multiple cooking functions. Both ovens include integrated grills, double glazed doors to reduce the chance of scorched fingers, while the main multifunction oven has eight different cooking functions, including both fan and conventional cooking, as well as a defrost option.
Programmable, you won’t have to worry about burning food through forgetfulness, as you can easily set the start and end of cooking times, letting the Hoover count the minutes for you and automatically switching off when done.
Cleaning-wise, the Hoover’s main oven includes an eco-friendly hydro-easy clean system to take the hassle out of cleaning and remove harsh chemicals from the equation. Just pour water into the bottom of the oven and set the program running to remove fat and food particles and all the horrid work is done for you.
Buy now £399.00, Currys
Smeg Classic DOSF6390X
Best for: Built-in double over style and substance
Italian manufacturer of a multitude of kitchen devices, Smeg, can’t help but create appliances of absolute – how shall I put this? – exquisiteness. If you’re designing a statement kitchen and need a cooker that not only physically enhances but also delivers the baked goods, look no further than the Smeg Classic DOSF6390X.
The whopping 70-litre main multifunctional oven allows for a wide range of cooking, including static or fan-assisted, an eco mode, defrost and proving, all while the second electric conventional oven is ideal for traditional cooking and has a handy grill setting for adding that finishing touch.
Safety-wise, the Smeg comes armed with something they call the Superior Tangential Cooling System, essentially a special fan that cools the oven exterior so that the doors are always cool and safe enough to open.
With an enamel interior for easy cleaning, the Smeg Classic DOSF6390X comes A-rated for energy, so is just as easy on the environment as it is on the eye and to seeing to all your culinary concerns.
Buy now £1229.00, AO
Hotpoint Class 2 DD2540BL
Best for: Large capacity cooking on a budget
They say that size isn’t everything, but they clearly didn’t ask those who live with a large family, a scenario in which you need all the internal oven capacity you can get and – increasingly these days – without having to break the bank. This is where the Class 2 DD2540BL from Hotpoint happily backs itself into your built-in cavity.
With a main oven capacity of some 74-litres and a second oven capacity of 42-litres, you are not going to struggle for space.
Okay, at considerably under the £400 mark, you’re not going to get all the functions and features of the more expensive oven options, but what you do get is an electric fan oven that circulates hot air to cook food evenly across every shelf, and also a second conventional oven with a handy grill, which for most people who don’t generally prepare food with Gordon Ramsay screaming swear words at them is probably enough.
There’s also an electronic programmable timer for automatic off when your food is done, and when it comes to the hated task of cleaning the thing, the main oven is equipped with an enamel-coated interior to prevent grease from sticking.
Available in black, it may seem a little basic compared to the likes of the Smeg, but check out that price difference too and narrow down your cooking needs.
Buy now £329.00, AO
NEFF N50 U1ACI5HN0B
Best for: Feature-packed cooking capability
Heading back into the giddy stratosphere of over-£1000 ovens, the sleekly stylish NEFF N50 U1ACI5HN0B gives owners a nicely sized 71-litre multifunction main oven that will give you the ability to cook all manner of meals to perfection (depending on your kitchen competence, obviously) with the greatest of ease.
Meanwhile, the 34-litre second oven also comes backed with a grill function, thus allowing you to finish off your culinary masterpieces with the first-bite-is-with-the-eye they deserve.
Also included in the meal-making mix is a SinglePoint meat probe that keeps you constantly in the picture as to food temperatures, ensuring that Sunday roast need never to go awry again.
Finally, when it comes to keeping the Neff neat and tidy, the EcoClean Direct ceramic interior absorbs grease splatters, which then burn away as you cook, leaving less work to wince at after use – always welcome.
Buy now £1109.00, AO
